Oh, Sandy

I dunno about you, but when something horrible happens--a bridge inexplicably collapses in Minnesota, a volcano buries a Guatemalan hillside, an earthquake shakes Haiti to indistinguishable bits, a nightmarish tornado turns homes to matchsticks in Missouri, a hurricane blasts apart Louisiana or Texas or New York--I find myself wanting to do something.

Soooooo, here I am: Doing something. Specifically, some friends and I are assembling emergency clean-up buckets for UMCOR to use in areas affected by Hurricane Sandy. 

This will go lots better if we do this together. Here's what you do:

1. Download this thingy. The photo at the end of this post is a sample of the "thingy" I'm talking about.
2. Make copies (note that they're two-sided) for as many homes as you have in your neighborhood, apartment complex, office cube-farm, whatever. Cut 'em apart, fold 'em in half, and punch a hole in the top right corner. (No, I'm not a control freak, but if you punch a hole anywhere else, you'll be punching through some of the text.) (Plus? I'm a control freak.) 
3. Thread a rubber band or piece of yarn or whatever through that hole. POOF! Doorhanger.
4. On the front, under "from your neighbors" write your name and address so people know you're a real person who lives/works nearby.
5. On the inside, write a day and time when you'll stop by to pick stuff up.
6. Talk a walk and hang 'em on your neighbors' doors/cubes. You pro'ly figured this step out all by yourself, eh?
7. At the appointed time from step 5, go fetch the stuff. I recommend giving people 5-7 days' notice. 
8. If you live near me, email me so we can arrange a time for me to get the stuff from you. Please complete your collection by Sunday, November 18, as a group of us are sorting and assembling supplies on Monday, November 19. Everything will be delivered to a central collection point in Columbia, Missouri to be shipped to affected areas.
9. If you don't live near me, visit UMCOR's website to learn assembly instructions and to find a collection site.

If you hate my doorhanger, make your own. So there.

If you sorta kinda like my doorhanger and want to tweak it, I'm not proud; just ask me for the InDesign file and tweak away.

Questions? Holler. 

Thanks for your help! Love you all.

Yes, I'm Still Talking About THAT

Yes, I'm still working on sending those 43 kids in Guatemala to school for a year. Would you take a listen, please? Directions for how to be a part of this thing are down there under the video. Thank you. Truly.


Guatemala Testimony from Morning Star Church on Vimeo.

To offer some help: 

1. Send a check to Morning Star Church (made out to MSC) with "Guatemala school" in the memo. The address is 1600 Feise Rd., Dardenne Prairie, MO 63368.

2. Send a check to me, made out to "Missionary Ventures." Email me for my address.

3. To use plastic, go to the Missionary Ventures website, scroll down to “Donation Area,” select “Field Coordinator Ministry-Preferenced for,” and type “Guatemala-Torre Fuerte school sponsorships.” If you choose to give online, pretty please just let me know about your donation so I can keep track.

4. If you're not concerned about a tax deduction, you can also donate through my PayPal account. 

Those People

So, I'm a bit cranky, and I realize there's at least a slight chance that this post will have the exact opposite effect as intended . . . but I'm going to say it anyway. Love you all.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about some kids I know in Guatemala, inviting you to help provide them with schooling for a year. I have to be honest: The response has been discouraging.

I'm wondering if this is what's going on:

Over the years, I've heard folks say, "I don't support foreign missions. We have plenty of people who need help right here in our own backyard."

Which is to say, "OUR people are more worthy of help than THOSE people." Don't get all apoplectic here, please. If we're willing to be honest, that's the message behind that statement.

I used to think like that. And then I heard Bono (yes, of U2) offer this response: "Can it really be an accident of longitude and latitude that means the difference between life and death?"

Yep, we have plenty of people in our own communities who are struggling; but, unlike the great majority of countries, we also have plenty of people in our own communities who can help meet basic needs. (And if you're doing that, awesome. You're excused from this rant. Unfortunately, I've learned that many people with the "own backyard" stance aren't doing anything for anyone anywhere.) 

Who knows . . . maybe the problem is something else entirely:

• Maybe my original invitation was too verbose. 
• Maybe you're leery of handing even $20 to an organization with which you aren't familiar. 
• Maybe your family is truly cash-strapped and giving $20 would mean your kids don't get to eat. This happens here, too. I know.
• Maybe you just don't like me. Maybe you're waiting to hear what I'm giving. Six months. 
• Maybe you didn't even know about this project until I started yelling at you. (Sorry.)
• Maybe you're a procrastinator. I resemble that remark.
• Maybe you've already committed a certain portion of your income to other projects, and you just can't say "yes" to everything. I get it!

But if your reason for not participating has something to do with those people, would you please reconsider? To learn giving options, see the "Here are three ways to do it" in the middle of this post. Thanks.

$20

• It’s the smallest bill available in most cash machines.
• You’d need more than that to take your favorite eight-year-old to a 3D movie.
• Your (My) Starbucks habit requires at least that every couple of weeks.
• It’s dinner for two. Without sodas. With a coupon. Maybe.
• It wouldn’t fill your car with fuel. Maybe not even halfway.

But it’s enough to send one of these sweet Guatemalan kids to school for one month. Don't stop reading here, please. Keep going.

I’m going to be quick, here:
I’m aware of 43 students in Guastatoya, El Progresso, Guatemala for whom we (you, me, our friends, our families) can provide an education. On the cheap. Like, $20/month cheap.

I’ve met these kids—played tag and silly hand-clapping games with them. I’ve giggled with them and sung and danced with them. They’re real kids, and you could do some real, lasting good.

So here’s what I’m inviting you to do:
Although 43 students x $20/month x 12 months is quite a chunk of change--$10,320--if we break it down to $20 bits, it’ll be easy. So, I’m “selling” 516 months of education for $23 each. (The extra three bucks covers the administrative costs of making this happen.) You can buy one month for one kid or twelve months for one kid or three months for two kids or whatever makes you smile.

Here are three ways to do it:

• Send a check, made out to Missionary Ventures, to me. (Email me to get my address.) I’ll mail them to the field office all at the same time.
• To use plastic, go the Missionary Ventures website. Scroll down to “Donation Area,” select “Field Coordinator Ministry-Preferenced for,” and type “Guatemala-Torre Fuerte school sponsorships.” If you choose to give online, please just let me know how many months you’ve provided so I can keep track.
• If you're not concerned about the tax deduction thing, you're welcome to donate through my PayPal account. I'll be sure to let you know when I've sent in the funds to Torre Fuerte.

Here’s when you should do it:
Right now. I’m closing out this project on July 30, 2012. UPDATED: Deadline extended through September 30.

Here’s what you get out of it:
A happy heart and a tax deduction. Although I’d love to provide you with pictures of the child you’re sponsoring and start a pen-pal campaign and all that lovely stuff, the truth is that the administrative costs would absolutely skyrocket. You’ll just have to trust me that they’re real kids, they’re beautiful, and they could sure benefit from your generosity.

Here’s why this project is important:
Statistically, if you live in Guatemala, you live in poverty. Just like in the states, quality education dramatically improves your chances of finding employment and achieving self-sufficiency. Unfortunately, public education in Guatemala, is--well, it’s awful. It’s drastically under-funded, and more than 85% of classrooms don’t meet minimum standards for classroom space, teaching materials, equipment, furniture, and water/sanitation. Perhaps not surprisingly, the general attitude of public school teachers is apathy.

So, if parents want their kids to have any sort of fair shake, they have to look to private education. Which, of course, isn’t free. And many of the poorest people can’t find work to feed their families, let alone send their kids to school. You can picture the cycle in your head, right? No education = no skill = no work = insufficient funds = no education = . . .

So, will you help?

By the way, if providing an education for Guatemalan kids isn’t your “thing,” do something different with that $20 in your pocket. Buy several cases of water and take it to a homeless shelter. Take someone who’s lonely to dinner. (There are lonely people all around you.) Call a nursing home, find out who hasn’t received a surprise in awhile, and send that person a bouquet. Leave an extra-generous tip at dinner. Something.

Guatemala II: Day Five

Guatemala II: Day Four

Guatemala II: Day Three

To keep tabs on what we're up to in Guatemala, keep an eye on the the team blog.

Guatemala II: Day Two

I'm intentionally spending more time with the team blog, so be sure to keep an eye over there. I'll likely post a least a picture or two here every day, though. I can't help it.